HSA Technical Corrections Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. SPEIER. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman just referred to H.R. 3859 as a unanimous bill that came out of Homeland Security. She spoke about how this measure is going to get rid of reporting requirements and antiquated elements regarding homeland security.

Meanwhile, Members, we have a travesty on our hands, and we are doing nothing about it. We just witnessed the 353rd mass shooting of the year in this country. We are all concerned about homegrown terrorists. We had a homegrown terrorist who annihilated 14 people and injured many more just last week.

We have a huge loophole in the law that allows persons who are on the no-fly list to purchase guns in this country. If we believe that they should not have the right to fly, why should they have the right to own a gun? People like Faisal Shahzad was already on the no-fly list when he attempted to bomb Times Square on May 1, 2010. If he had decided to walk into a gun store that day and purchase a gun, he would have been able to do so. This makes no sense.

It is time for us to engage in common sense. It is time for the Homeland Security Committee to come together in a unanimous fashion and pass H.R. 1076. There is a discharge petition on the floor. This bill should come before the full House. Vote however you want to, but give each and every Member of this House the opportunity to be recorded on whether or not one wants people who are on suspected terrorist lists to be able to buy a gun.

For those who may be on that list for purposes that are wrong or in error, so they have to wait 3 days before they get the gun. Better to have safety in this country for all Americans, better to have persons who do not belong in a position of owning a gun, but belong on the list not to fly, to not be able to buy a gun.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source